A donation fund has been created in memory of former University graduate student Joseph Gotham, according to the president of the LSU Indian Student Association.
Gotham, a native of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, was pursuing a master’s degree in computer science from the University when he drowned in a Mississippi canoeing accident Sept. 4.
The ISA is asking for donations for Gotham’s funeral, said ISA president Narender Kumar.
“At the student level, we cannot do anything because we don’t have time or money to go to Mississippi, take care of his body and go to his funeral in India,” Kumar said.
Two weeks after his death, Gotham’s parents in India still don’t understand the process of retrieving their son’s body, Kumar said.
“They don’t know what process is going on here to get the body back. They don’t know the documental things, the expenses — they just want their son’s body at any cost,” Kumar said.
The Telugu Association of North America, an organization that helps integrate the Telugu-speaking people of India to North American life, is handling the arrangements for Gotham’s body for free, Kumar said.
Handling Gotham’s body will cost about $8,000, Kumar said.
“We would like to extend our help for this cause,” the LSU ISA said in an e-mail to its members. “Every little bit will go a long way towards ensuring that his body reaches his parents.”
TANA and Gotham’s parents are not asking for contributions, but Kumar feels it’s the University’s duty to assist Gotham’s family.
“This association is here to help Indian students, and so we will do that,” Kumar said.
Donations are coming from various sources, Kumar said.
“Some students and faculty [have donated], some from the University of [Louisiana at] Lafayette, but the majority is coming from students and faculty,” Kumar said.
The raised funds are going to the Telugu Association of North America, who has direct contact with Gotham’s family, Kumar explained.
TANA will decide whether the money is needed for the funeral, Kumar said. If it is not, the money will be sent to Gotham’s family.
Students and faculty with Campus Federal accounts can donate to the “Indian Student Association” through a phone transfer. Alternatively, walk-ins may drop a check or deposit in the name of the “Indian Student Association” with a comment or note reading “Joseph Funeral.”
The LSU ISA will accept donations until the end of the month.
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Contact Julian Tate at [email protected]